I have no idea since it's not something I've studied, but I would think that a host of influences are reducing illiteracy rates. It's a changing world and economy, so opportunities to drop out of school and just get a random job don't exist like they once did. All but the lowest-rung manual labor jobs require a GED at the very least today, whereas in my grandfather's youth (1920s/30s) he had to drop out of school at 14 years of age to get a factory job and support his family, later both owning a 300 acre dairy farm and working tool & die (simultaneously, and I think I'm busy!) until he went to seminary in his 50s. I don't think he ever completed his HS education, but figured things out along the way. Today's economic opportunities wouldn't allow for that.
I'm sure that the changing educational system with more varied learning methods and emphasis on minimum standards helps as well. It's not quite as one size fits all as it once was. My son's elementary has tutoring/intervention programs that weren't available in the past. He has a program called WIN time (What I Need), where they pull individual groups of students out of the classroom and give them more individualized time in small groups, helping those at the top or bottom of performance levels with reading and math. It keeps challenging the stronger kids and allows those who are struggling a chance to get individually tuned help for where they're at and catch up. Even some play time has been researched and structured in ways that are more academically challenging and yet fun for the kids as well, not even considering how some teachers add unstructured micro breaks into the day for their students, based on research about how play breaks help development. Do these early enough in a kid's education and they're going to have more confidence in their ability to succeed, not fall so far behind, and be less likely to give up and drop out.
I'm sure that better technology and smart phones help with this as well. There are heaps of educational apps and games available, which teach kids in ways that connect to their brains.
Am I way off base or is the era of the net helping with literacy?
I'm sure that the changing educational system with more varied learning methods and emphasis on minimum standards helps as well. It's not quite as one size fits all as it once was. My son's elementary has tutoring/intervention programs that weren't available in the past. He has a program called WIN time (What I Need), where they pull individual groups of students out of the classroom and give them more individualized time in small groups, helping those at the top or bottom of performance levels with reading and math. It keeps challenging the stronger kids and allows those who are struggling a chance to get individually tuned help for where they're at and catch up. Even some play time has been researched and structured in ways that are more academically challenging and yet fun for the kids as well, not even considering how some teachers add unstructured micro breaks into the day for their students, based on research about how play breaks help development. Do these early enough in a kid's education and they're going to have more confidence in their ability to succeed, not fall so far behind, and be less likely to give up and drop out.
I'm sure that better technology and smart phones help with this as well. There are heaps of educational apps and games available, which teach kids in ways that connect to their brains.
Nova wrote:
I have no proof or links, but I was just thinking that people have smart phones. Sure you can call and do other things without being able to read, to surf the net you really need to know, at least phonetically, some reading and writing. Am I way off base or is the era of the net helping with literacy?